Some common questions asked by neck pain patients :
1. Should I use a Cervical Collar ?
2. Should I sleep without pillow ?
3. Should I take any pain killers ?
4. Should I stop all exercise ?
It should be understood that all cases can not be generalised.
If you have pain due to muscle spasm or regular use of computers, then you may continue with all exercise,continue to use pillow,avoid pain killers and do not need a collar.
If there is a problem with vertebral alignment like changes in normal cervical curvature or disc compression /bulge then it needs to be handled more carefully. In very few cases pain killers and cervical collar may be required. Most people may be able to continue moderate form of exercise but exercise should be prescribed after elaborate assessment. Exercise prescription should be done only by a Physical Therapist. Patient should have no confusion about the fact that only a qualified Physical Therapist prescribes exercise. Teaching or training exercise is completely different from prescribing exercise.
Pain killers or any form of medication is not a part of physio treatment,so one should not expect this to be discussed at a physio consultation. In most mechanical pains medicine and physiotherapy are two parallel forms of treatment and any one of them may be enough to subside the pain.Patient needs to make a choice if he wants temporary relief by pain killers or permanent cure by complete rehabilitation.
In some European countries pain relief medication is prescribed by physiotherapists ,this is done in cases where physiotherapy alone may not work.In India it may be a teamwork between a physician and physio in cases where both exercise and medicine is needed.
Comments
Post a Comment